The present invention is directed to new and useful improvements in a cutter head assembly for an electric dry shaver and in particular to a cutter head for shearing long facial or body hairs.
Electric dry shavers usually comprise a cutter head having a stationary outer cutter and an inner cutter mounted within the outer cutter for movement relative thereto. A plurality of hair reception slots are formed in the outer cutter for combing hair into the cutter head as the latter is manipulated across the surface of the skin of the user during a shaving operation. The inner cutter is provided with cutter teeth having cutting edges which shear the hair entering the slots against the edges of the outer cutter slots upon movement of the inner cutter. A problem common to electric dry shavers is the provision of efficient means for combing long facial or body hairs into position within the cutter head for shearing by the inner cutter. In cutter heads utilizing elongated outer cutters having reciprocating inner cutters, it is usual to provide rows of transverse hair reception slots in the outer cutter through which the hair is combed. The latter type cutter heads have proven effective for shearing upright short hair bristles, however, long hairs tend to lie flat against the surface of the skin and are further flattened by the cutter head as it is moved across the skin of the user requiring excessive manipulation to lift the hairs for combing into the cutter head.
In addition to the latter problems, it has been found that long hairs are also prevented from entering the cutter head by the bulging of the skin in advance of the cutter head preventing effective combing by the outer edges of the elongated outer cutter. In the past various devices such as combs or rollers have been provided on the shaver casing for stretching or tensioning the skin in advance of the cutter to enhance the combing effect of the outer cutter. Alternately the combing edges of the outer cutter have been spaced from the movable inner cutter and configurated to provide enlarged combing edges for lifting the hairs for entry into cutter head. In other prior art devices such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,264,398 and 2,395,495 it has been suggested to provide elongated cutter heads having a central longitudinally extending opening. The outer cutter of these devices are provided with cutter teeth at opposite sides of the opening for combing hair into the opening. These devices, however, are not concerned with the cutting of long hairs and contain guard means within the opening for preventing the skin from bulging into the opening and inadvertently engaging the movable inner cutter.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel cutter head for an electric dry shaver.
Another object is to provide a novel cutter head having novel combing action for shearing long facial or body hair with minimum irritation to the skin of the user.
Another object is to provide a cutter head for shearing long hairs having means for tensioning or stretching the skin in advance of the cutting means for feeding long hairs into the path thereof.
A still further object is to provide a novel electric dry shaver having a multiple cutter head for cutting both long and short hairs of the user.